Product Details
- Title: Lay Me Down
- Author: Tamara Hart Heiner
- Paperback: 332 pages
- Publisher: Tamark Books (January 15, 2016)
- Genre: YA, Romance, Mystery, Supernatural
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0989088847
- FTC, FYI: I received a review ARC in exchange for an honest review
- Reviewed by:Sheila
Book Description:
Life is more than just breathing.
Kylee Mansfield knows what it is to be alone. Her dad left when she was seven, and her mother remarried an abusive alcoholic. Kylee finds ways to escape reality, usually by substituting one pain for another.
Things take a deadly turn when a jagged cut shows up on her arm, and she doesn’t know where it came from. She enlists her neighbor, Price Hudson, to help her uncover the truth. But Price shows her much more than just her past—he shows her what it is to be alive.
Kylee leaned against her bedroom door, her heart beating erratically. Even from here, she could hear Bill swearing and yelling in the living room. She squeezed her eyes shut. Why was he still going on? He should have forgotten about her by now.
“Please stay in the other room. Please stay in the other room,” she chanted to herself. She glanced down at her throbbing arm, noting the small rivulet of blood collecting in the corner of her elbow.
Her mom’s shouting mingled with Bill’s, and something large crashed into a wall. The single-story house rattled as Bill’s thundering footsteps approached.
“Kylee!” he roared, the full extent of his fury echoing in the one word.
She whimpered. Her eyes landed on the chair scooted against the wooden desk next to the closet. She lunged for it, intent on propping it under the doorknob like she had so many times in the past.
Barely had she vacated her spot by the door before it banged open, slamming into the opposite wall with its force. Kylee shrieked and spun around.
“I’m sorry,” she sputtered, her hands splayed out in front of her for protection. “I should have stayed out of it. I—”
He cut the rest of her apology off with a left hook to her jaw. Kylee stumbled backwards and went down to her knees, a little surprised she hadn’t seen that coming. Bill was angrier than usual.
My Review:
I must preface this review by saying first: this review may be vague in what I can tell you about the story. The reason why is, I absolutely do not want to ruin the story for you. This book is so far one of the best I’ve read this year in 2016. It has a little of everything in it: romance, mystery, and supernatural. Quite a combination wouldn’t you say?
The story starts with us looking at the world through main character Kylee’s eyes. Her life is not easy. She lives with her browbeaten, druggie mom, and abusive stepfather Bill, in a rundown home. Kylee doesn’t go to public school anymore and is always in fear of her life because of Bill’s explosive temper. Kylee is cut off from her few friends and the rest of the world. She feels like she is non-existent and no one cares.To help her deal with the pain in her life she cuts herself.
The story brightens a bit when Kylee’s cute, new neighbor, Price Hudson, starts talking to her.He’s hesitant at first because of his own heartache he’s living through, but soon he can’t stay away from Kylee. Price soon shows her that the world can be a brighter and more loving place. They also form a friendship that can’t be broken. The two teens are quickly pulled into a supernatural world where they work together to figure something very important out. Price is a wonderful character that you will like because of his kindness and loyalty.
As you figure out what is truly going on, the tension in the story does not die down, it only builds. Time is running out for the mystery to be solved and both Kylee and Price are in danger. With the help of a Medium, Madame Humphrey, the story finally comes to an end with a shocking revelation. I was left with a feeling of contentment at the end, though the ride getting there was full of angst. This is a must read and I think I heard there may be a sequel. I hope it is true!
**I read this book with my teen daughter and we had some good discussions along the way. The story is for older teens and adults. There is some violence, blood, and mild gore within the book.**
Meet Author: Tamara Hart Heiner
I live in Arkansas with my husband and four children, two crazy boys and two pretty little princesses.
I am the author of the young adult suspense PERILOUS series (DELIVERER, PERILOUS, ALTERCATION, and a third book under contract!), INEVITABLE, and the Cassandra Jones saga. My non-fiction book about the Joplin tornado came out in May, 2014. You can find out more about what I’m writing and catch deleted scenes from my books on my blog at http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com.